Batter initially fined for displaying Palestine flag on bat has penalty waived by PCB
Azam Khan with the Palestinian flag on his bat
Days after Pakistan batter Azam Khan was fined 50 per cent of his match feefor displaying the Palestinian flag on his bat, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has taken a U-turn on its decision.
PCB on Tuesday (Nov 28) released a statement saying it had reviewed the matter and decided to waive the penalty imposed by the match officials.
"Azam Khan's 50 per cent fine imposed by match officials has been reviewed and waived off by the Pakistan Cricket Board," PCB said in a release.
It was during the National T20 Cup 2023-24 match betweenKarachi Whites and Lahore Blues at the National Stadium in Karachi on Sunday (Nov 26) that Azam was reprimanded for his actions.
Playing for the Whites, the wicketkeeper-batter came out to the crease with his bat sporting a Palestinian flag on the bottom of the spine. It was presumably a way for Azam to show solidarity with the Palestinians who are currently the collateral damage in the Israel-Hamas war.
The message, however, did not go down well with the match officials as he was found guilty ofcommitting a level-I offence. He violatedArticle 2.4 of the PCB Code of Conduct For Players and Players Support Personnel for repeated failure to comply with the instruction or directive of an umpire during a match.
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According to Geo News, Azam had the same sticker depicting the Palestine flag on his bat in the previous two games of the National T20 Cup. However, no one had warned him before Sunday's game when the picture of his bat went viral on social media.
Rizwan supports Gazans
While Azam received stick for his actions, similar was not the case when national team wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan came out in support of Gazans.
Notably, during the recently concluded World Cup in India, Rizwan dedicated Pakistan's league match victory against Sri Lanka to the people of Gaza.
"This was for our brothers and sisters in Gaza.Happy to contribute in the win. Credits to the whole team and especially Abdullah Shafique and Hassan Ali for making it easier," Rizwan posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
After the Sri Lanka match, the wheels came off for the Pakistan team as it lost four successive matcheswhich eventually contributed to the exit from the marquee tournament.
(With inputs from agencies)